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Beach Party With Lost Coast at The Hen House

Have you been to the Hen House? Its name belies its roadhouse character. Loud music regularly presides over a party atmosphere that starts mellow, but finishes like the best night you ever had in college. This time, there was a distinct beach-vacation vibe, with reggae setting a mellow mood over the Tijuana-style outdoor bar and sand volleyball pit. Our lovely bartending staff knew the Lost Coast tap Lineup (Great White, Tangerine, Downtown Brown and the Indica IPA), but the evening’s games were a mystery. About the time we decided to mimic a little sand volleyball for photos, some staff started placing red trash barrels on the far end of each side. We knew instantly, but took a second to realize the reference: white tape at the tops of the barrels created the illusion of huge Solo cups. Giant Beer Pong was on.
Naturally, we were playing more for effect than to win. Lost Coast representatives had greeted me as I walked in, friendly and enthusiastic about Beer Week. They cheered on our feeble attempts to hurl a volleyball into a trashcan-any trashcan-and there was plenty of laughter to go around. I accordingly sampled most of the brews in turn, knowing what to expect, and smiled all the while in comfortable delicious repose.
If you haven’t had Lost Coast’s brews, you’re in for a treat. The tangerine tastes just like its namesake, and is one of the few overt fruit beers that I enjoy. It’s a completely refreshing treat that is so true to the Tangerine as to make me feel like its hydrating and providing vitamin C. The Downtown Brown is about as smooth as you can get, with all the roast chestnut you need. Lastly, I enjoyed the Indica IPA, a fresh West Coast style IPA with plenty of hop bud aroma and robust character.
The laid back atmosphere made our few hours feel like a real beach resort experience. This could have been enhanced with a couple more games-some ladder-ball, shuffleboard or a normal beer pong table, for example. In some ways, the Beer Week element wasn’t strong enough to outweigh what might be a typical Tuesday at this popular party spot. That said, our server was just attentive enough to make sure we never went without beer, and we took full advantage. All the patrons were in a beach party mood, and the crowd grew in all the right ways as evening darkened into night. We left early, but it was clear that the festivities were just getting started.